Hermione's Scar
by QuirkyChameleon
Summary: Ron and Hermione have to explain to Rose and Hugo why Mum has such a horrible scar on her arm. Do R&R! And please enjoy! :


"Mum! Mum, come play with me!"

Seven-year-old Rose Weasley's cheerful voice rang out from the living room.

"Coming, Rosie!" said Hermione Weasley cheerfully, walking into the living room to join her daughter. Five-year-old Hugo sat on the rug; playing with his stuffed dragon and making it eat the toy wizards he had strewn onto the floor. He got up and hugged Hermione's legs the moment he saw her.

"Hugo, did you miss Mummy? I've only been gone a few minutes to make us lunch!"

She smiled and kissed his head lightly as he crawled onto her lap.

Rose approached them and cuddled up next to her mum.

"Mum, can we all play a game?"

"What kind of game, Rosie? Do you want to play pretend? Or perhaps we could play with your toy broomstick? Or with Hugo's stuffed dragon?"

"No Mum, I want you to chase me!" said Rose happily, and she got up and ran around.

Hermione looked at Hugo and said, "Let's go catch Rosie!"

Hugo's face lit up. "Rosie? I'll catch her!"

"Yes, sweetie! Let's go!" said Hermione playfully.

She picked up her son and they ran around, chasing Rose. She flew all around the house until finally they all landed on the living room rug, laughing. As they were rolling around, however, Rose unknowingly fell clumsily on her mother's arm.

Hermione let out a cry of pain and Rose and Hugo both looked alarmed and scared as Hermione began to gasp with pain and clutch at the arm that Rose had fallen on.

"Mum?" squeaked Rose.

There was a crack from outside; Ron had gotten home from work.

"Dad!" Rose cried shrilly. "Dad, Mum's hurt!"

Hugo had begun to cry.

Ron came inside immediately, his eyes worried.

"What happened, Rosie? What's the matter?"

"I don't know!" wailed Rose. "I didn't mean to hurt her!"

"Get back," said Ron, who had a terrified sort of calm in his voice. He knelt next to his wife.

"Hermione, what hurts? What hurts, sweetheart? Get back, let me see…"

Ron saw blood staining Hermione's arm and the word "Mudblood" was very faintly there. Ron realized the wound must have reopened from their playtime. Rose or Hugo must have fallen on it or hit it accidentally.

"Okay, Hermione, come on," said Ron. "Let's get up and go to the bedroom to put something on that, okay? You wait for me in there."

Hermione got up shakily and went to their bedroom, clutching her bleeding arm. Ron took his children into his arms. He felt them trembling and he knew they were very scared.

"Shh, it's all right. Let's go to our rooms for a minute, all right? Mummy will be all right, don't worry."

Ron took Rose to her room, then he took Hugo to his. Then after he'd put them in bed and assured them Hermione would be all right, he went to the bedroom.

Hermione was gasping a bit as she clutched her arm, which was still bleeding. The sudden reopening of the wound seemed to have rendered her into some kind of shock.

Ron quickly wet a cloth and went to his wife.

"Here, let me see it…"

He rolled back her sleeve and pressed the wet cloth to the wound to sponge off a bit of the blood. She winced a little but didn't pull away. Ron gently wiped blood off of Hermione's arm until it had lessened slightly. Then he took a bandage out of the closet and he wrapped it slowly around her scar.

"Shh," he said as she let out little gasps of pain. "It's all right, it's all right."

Hermione got up and went to the sink, and wet another cloth to wipe her face. She was very pale and was trembling quite a bit. Ron went to her, his eyes on her, looking at her gently as her own eyes filled with tears almost in spite of herself.

"Hermione," said Ron very quietly.

Hermione looked at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Then she looked back down at the sink and began to cry, tears falling into it.

Ron put both arms around her. "Shh. It's all right."

He detached one of his arms from her to take her hand and lead her to their bed.

"Let's just sit down now…"

Once they had sat down Hermione cried into Ron's shoulder and let him fully embrace her.

"Shh, now…it's okay, Hermione. It's okay, love. Shh. She can't hurt you again. She can never ever touch you again. Shh…it's all right."

Hermione clutched at her husband as he held her close and let her cry.

"Shh…shh…"

Hermione got herself under control and leaned her head against Ron's, sniffling.

"I know it's silly for me to be getting worked up, I just remembered everything and I couldn't help it-"

"No, no, I know that," said Ron, rubbing her back. "It's all right, it's not your fault."

Hermione looked at Ron, who had begun to wipe her tears gently with his thumb, his hand on her face.

"How are we going to explain that to Rose and Hugo? How are we going to tell them that Mum was tortured by an evil witch and that's why Mum's arm is delicate? What am I supposed to tell them?"

"We'll explain it to them somehow," said Ron. "I'm sure they're just terrified for you, Hermione. Don't worry. We'll think of something, okay?"

Hermione nodded shakily and Ron kissed her.

"Let's go get our kids and discuss this, okay?"

Hermione nodded again and they got up.

Hermione went into the living room and sat down. Ron went to Hugo's room first. He was lying on his bed, crying. Ron went to his son and held him.

"What's wrong with Mum?" sobbed Hugo. "Did we hurt her?"

"No, no, no," said Ron. "Mum's all right, she's all right, Hugo. Come on, we're gonna go talk to her."

Ron patted his son's shoulder, then took Hugo's hand and led him out of his bedroom to Rose's.

Rose wasn't crying anymore, just trembling and pale. Ron went to his daughter and kissed her.

"Mum's okay, Rosie. Don't worry. We're gonna go talk to her, okay?"

Rose nodded, took her father's other hand, and together all three of them walked out to the living room to Hermione, who did her best to sit there, smiling at her children.

Rose and Hugo ran to their mother and hugged her.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Mum!" cried Rose. "I'm so sorry!"

Hugo merely cried.

"It's all right, you two," said Hermione, kissing her daughter and son. "I'm fine. But we need to talk to you about why we need to be careful of my arm, okay?"

Rose and Hugo nodded fervently. Ron sat down next to his wife and they looked at their children, who had taken a seat on the living room rug.

"A long time ago, before you two were born," said Hermione. "A very bad witch kidnapped me, your father, and Uncle Harry."

"She was a bad, bad person," said Ron. "She did a lot of bad things."

"The bad witch did this," said Hermione, pointing at her arm. Rose and Hugo's eyes widened and they looked scared.

"But not to worry," said Ron, noticing. "I saved Mum, and I made sure the bad witch couldn't hurt her. The bad witch can't hurt Mum anymore. She's gone now."

Rose and Hugo sighed in relief. Hugo suddenly seized his mother around her waist.

"It's okay, Mum. I won't let any bad witches hurt you."

"Yeah," said Rose, hugging her mother too. "We'll make sure they can't come near our Mum."

Hermione hugged her children, and despite herself her eyes filled with tears.

"I love you," she said quietly, and Ron smiled and hugged his little family.


End file.
